Hot topic: Restaurant meals for kids fail nutrition test

The menus offered to children by most U.S. restaurant chains have too many calories, too much salt or fat, and often not a hint of vegetables or fruit, according to a study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

• Most restaurants’ children’s menus are failing

Hot topic: As ‘Telehealth’ grows, experts question cost benefits

LONDON – Monitoring patients at home using modern technology, so-called “telehealth,” is tipped as the next big thing in healthcare, but a new study by British researchers suggests it may not be worth the extra expense.

• Telehealth

Hot topic: Warmer houses linked to better health

That toasty warm building in winter may not just be psychologically comforting. According to a UK study, improving buildings to enhance “thermal comfort” – with central heating or insulation, for instance – pays off in both physical and mental wellbeing.

• Additional insulation has benefits

Hot topic: Distracted eaters tend to take in more calories

If you’re watching TV, stay away from the pretzels or chips, alluring as the temptation may be. People who eat meals or snacks while watching TV, playing games or reading tend to consume more calories in a sitting, and especially later in the day, according to a UK review of two dozen past studies.

Hot topic: Swedish mannequins cause a controversy

A clothing store in Sweden is being hailed by women around the world after a photo of two surprisingly curvy mannequins there were photographed and posted online.

• Clothing store mannequins

Hot topic: More proof Mediterranean Diet can ward off heart disease

A Mediterranean diet high in olive oil, nuts, fish and fresh fruits and vegetables may help prevent heart disease and strokes, according to a large study from Spain.

Study: Sharp drop in drink deaths follows alcohol price rise

LONDON – Increasing the minimum price of alcohol by 10 percent can lead to immediate and significant drops in drink-related deaths and may also have long-term beneficial health effects, according to a study published on Thursday.

Hot topic: App brings diners together

TORONTO – Looking for new friends or dinner partners? A new smartphone app is designed to help people connect to others to set up groups for dinners. The app, GrubTonight, links hungry and adventurous smartphone users for dinners, fun evenings and friendship.

Hot topic: Girls get better grades because they’re ‘nice,’ researchers find

American elementary school teachers reward girls with higher grades for behaving better in class than boys and for paying attention, according to a new study that may be the first of its kind in comparing grades, standardized tests and behavior.

Hot topic: France may curb use of riskier oral contraceptives

PARIS – French health regulators are studying limiting the use of contraceptive pills that carry health risks and will stop reimbursing prescription costs of some types from March, after a woman sued drugmaker Bayer over alleged side-effects.

Hot topic: Walking linked to fewer strokes in women, study says

Women who walk at least three hours every week are less likely to suffer a stroke than women who walk less or not at all, according to research from Spain that looked at thousands of people.

Hot topic: Most Americans believe in love at first sight, study says

NEW YORK – Most Americans believe in love at first sight, have never read their partner’s email and think good sex is very important to a successful relationship, a poll released on Wednesday showed.

Hot topic: Employer wins relief from contraceptives mandate

CHICAGO – A divided federal appeals court has temporarily barred the U.S. government from requiring an Illinois company to obtain insurance coverage for contraceptives, as mandated under the 2010 healthcare overhaul, after the owners objected on religious grounds.

Hot topic: Milk-producing protein to aggressive forms of breast cancer, study shows

The discovery that a protein which triggers milk production in women may also be responsible for making breast cancers aggressive could open up new opportunities for treatment of the most common and deadliest form of cancer among women.

Cracking the Glass Ceiling: Women made little progress in 2012

Women made little progress in breaking the glass ceiling in 2012, reports US News & World Report. Females held only 14.3 percent of executive officer positions at Fortune 500 companies in 2012, up only slightly from 2011, according to 2012 Catalyst Census, a report from nonprofit Catalyst, which promotes women in business.

• Woman in business